Dancing with Skeletons

From the foreword: I remember the HUN in its infancy. It was really the idea of Zach Drees, although he'll always contest that I had some influence on the group's creation. And when it began, I remember hoping-praying, honestly-that it would become what it needed to become: a haven for poets of all genres, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations-everything a broken America promised it would be to its citizens, everything the fake United Nations promised, in a way, to the world. The House of United Nations needed to be willing to not only vigorously write and write well, but also to perform outreach, mentorship of not only poets, but people, promotion of poetry in general and good poetry in particular-all the while being not merely a place, but an idea that could easily be transported to anywhere in the world. And while the world hasn't had a chance to sit down with the unique, powerful and humble voices that make up the HUN, this volume of poems from the Initiating Class (OHUNIC, nigga) puts the world on notice: The House of United Nations is here. They are bold. They risk everything-and I mean everything-with every poem. They are organized, and willing to promote their craft and the cause of poetry at the drop of a hat (even a fedora). They work with youth, regardless of perceived social standing, race or religion. They despise inequality at every turn. They inspire. They produce. They eat. They let people I love realize there is value in themselves. They don't judge. They keep it very, very real. If love were a terrorist ideal, they would be stone cold terrorists. And I love every one of them.